More rain keeping Indiantown fires at bay

INDIANTOWN - After three days of fighting more than 2,000-acres of brush fires in western Martin County, fire officials got a break with the rain.

"(Wednesday) is the first day that the fire breaks have held," said Melissa Yunas, wildfire mitigation specialtist with Florida Division of Forestry.

Indiantown and western Martin County got an inch of rain Wednesday afternoon - adding to the 4 inches that fell Tuesday, helping to douse wildfires that have been burning since Sunday, fire officials said.

"It's not contained and we're being very cautious," Yunas said Wednesday evening. "Because of the wind and low relative humidity that we've had, we are able to get a good hold of the fire and getting a fire line started."

Yunas said if the fire breaks hold Thursday and heavy rain falls on the smoldering areas, the outlook for containing the fire would improve.

A 20 percent chance of rain with winds 10-15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph is the forecast for Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Despite no new major fires in Martin County Wednesday, officials aren't declaring the fires contained.

Martin County firefighters remained on the scene overnight Wednesday to monitor the smoldering areas.

"Anything that is hot we're trying to keep water on it," Martin County Fire Rescue spokesman Jon Belding said.

Though tree-topping flames are no longer visible, fire officials said there are hidden dangers firefighters must look for.

Officials had several reports of brush trucks and other heavy machinery getting stuck in the sand or muck.

"We're driving around and the ground becomes unstable and we fall in," said Lt. Brian Seymour of Martin County Fire Rescue, whose brush truck was dislodged by a Division of Forestry plow.

Seymour said the sand will shift around the trucks, but on muck or mud the ground will break underneath the truck's weight.

If that wasn't enough to worry about, drivers have to watch for buried trash and metal, often dumped in heavily wooded areas instead of taken to the landfill, said Scott Peterich, wildfire mitigation specialist from Palm Beach County, who is helping with fire.

"If that happens while they're in there fighting a fire, things could get extremely dangerous for the firefighters," Peterich said.

Belding said firefighters are receiving help from Martin County sheriff's deputies to keep scavengers away from the burned areas.

Ed Ward, Forestry area supervisor, said firefighters have to keep onlookers, especially children and teens from the area. On Tuesday night, a plow driver noticed a group of kids following him as he worked near a fire.

"I don't blame the kids," Ward said. "They're curious and they want to see what we're doing. But it's too dangerous for them."